Playlist trailer

ABSTRACT

A playlist preview is generated to provide a preview of media content items identified by a media playlist. The playlist preview can be created by selecting all or some of the media content items in the playlist, determining preview portions of the selected media content items, and arranging the preview portions with or without a transition effect. The playlist preview can be easily shared with other users through, for example, social media sites.

BACKGROUND

Media content, such as audio content or video content, is widelyconsumed in various environments, such as daily, recreation, or fitnessactivities. Examples of audio content include songs, albums, podcasts,audiobooks, etc. Examples of video content include movies, music videos,television episodes, etc. Using a mobile phone or other media playbackdevice a person can access large catalogs of media content. For example,a user can access an almost limitless catalog of media content throughvarious free and subscription-based streaming services. Additionally, auser can store a large catalog of media content on his or her mobiledevice.

A playlist can be used to efficiently manage a large catalog of mediacontent. A playlist is used to group a plurality of media content itemswhich are to be played back. For example, a playlist can be used to savefavorite media content items for later playback. In certain examples, aplaylist may be shared with other users by providing such other userswith a link to the playlist, and the other users can access and playbackmedia content items associated with the playlist. This way allows otherusers to access each of the media content items identified by theplaylist, it is still difficult to quickly review all or some of themedia content items in the playlist or an overall impression of themedia content items in the playlist, especially when the playlistcontains a long list of media content items.

SUMMARY

In general terms, this disclosure is directed to a preview of a mediacontent playlist. In one possible configuration and by non-limitingexample, the playlist preview is generated and shared with other usersin interesting, personalized, and expressive manners. Various aspectsare described in this disclosure, which include, but are not limited to,the following aspects.

One aspect is a method for creating a media playlist preview, the methodcomprising: identifying a plurality of media content items associatedwith a media playlist; determining preview portions of the plurality ofmedia content items; arranging the preview portions of the plurality ofmedia content items; and generating an audio object for the mediaplaylist preview, the audio object identifying an arrangement of thepreview portions.

Another aspect is a media delivery system for delivering media contentitems to a media playback device, the media delivery system comprising:a processing device; a media data store storing a plurality ofplaylists; and a computer readable data storage medium storing softwareinstructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause themedia delivery system to: identify a plurality of media content itemsassociated with a media playlist; determine preview portions of theplurality of media content items; determine a transition effect; arrangethe preview portions of the plurality of media content items and thetransition effect, the transition effect arranged between adjacentpreview portions; and generate an audio object for the media playlistpreview, the audio object identifying an arrangement of the previewportions and the transition effect.

A media playback device comprising: a content output device configuredto output media content from media content items; a processing device;and a computer readable data storage medium storing softwareinstructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause themedia playback device to: receive a user selection of a media playlist;receive a user selection of media content items from the media playlist;determine preview portions of the plurality of media content items;arrange the preview portions of the plurality of media content items;and generate an audio object for the media playlist preview, the audioobject identifying an arrangement of the preview portions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system for generating a playlist previewand sharing the same between users.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an example system for generating aplaylist preview.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method for generating and sharing aplaylist preview.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method for generating a playlist preview.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method for determining properties of aplaylist preview being generated.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example system for identifying media content itemsto be used for a playlist preview.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example item selection scheme.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method for selecting preview portions ofselected media content items.

FIG. 9 illustrates a media content item having a search zone from whicha loop section is extracted in accordance with the method of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example preview portion of duration.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example system for determining a transitioneffect.

FIG. 12 is a graphical illustration for arranging the preview portionsof selected media content items.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example system for generating a playlist previewobject based on an audio object and a visual object.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example playlist preview engine of the mediaplayback device.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example method of generating or editing aplaylist preview using the media playback device.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example graphical user interface of a mediaplayback device for generating and editing a playlist preview.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example graphical user interface of the mediaplayback device for generating and editing a playlist preview.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example graphical user interface of the mediaplayback device for generating and editing a playlist preview.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example graphical user interface of the mediaplayback device for generating and editing a playlist preview.

FIG. 20 illustrates an example graphical user interface of the mediaplayback device for generating and editing a playlist preview.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example graphical user interface of the mediaplayback device for generating and editing a playlist preview.

FIG. 22 illustrates an example playlist preview shared and played on anexample social networking service.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to thedrawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts andassemblies throughout the several views.

In general, a playlist preview is generated automatically, orinteractively with a user, to provide a preview or summary of some orall of the media content items identified by the playlist. In certainexamples, the playlist preview of a playlist is created by selecting allor some of the media content items in the playlist, determining previewportions of the selected media content items, and arranging the previewportions with or without a transition effect. The playlist preview ofthe present disclosure provides a tool for media content item users orconsumers to easily share their experiences with media content items,thereby promoting collaborative user experiences. For example, thesystem of the present disclosure provides, and/or enables users tocreate, a trailer of the media content items in a playlist and enablesusers to share it with other users in interesting, personalized, andexpressive manners. The playlist preview can be shared in variousstraightforward and intuitive ways, such as through various social mediasites.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 100 for generating a playlistpreview and sharing the same between users. In this example, theplaylist preview generation and sharing system 100 includes a mediaplayback device 102 and a media delivery system 104. In someembodiments, a playlist preview generation engine 110 runs on the mediadelivery system 104, and a playlist preview engine 112 runs on the mediaplayback device 102. Also shown is a user U1 who uses the media playbackdevice 102. A playlist preview 114 can be generated by either or both ofthe playlist preview generation engine 110 of the media delivery system104 and the playlist preview engine 112 of the media playback device102. The playlist preview 114 can be shared with another user U2 whouses a user computing device 116. In some embodiments, the system 100can further include a social networking service provider 120 forproviding a social networking service 122. The system 100 communicatesacross a network 124.

It is understood that, in other embodiments, the system 100 may includea plurality of media playback devices 102, a plurality of media deliverysystems 104, a plurality of social networking service providers 120, aplurality of user computing devices 116, and/or a plurality of networks124.

The media playback device 102 operates to play media content items toproduce media output 126. In some embodiments, the media content itemsare provided by the media delivery system 104 and transmitted to themedia playback device 102 using the network 124. A media content item isan item of media content, including audio, video, or other types ofmedia content, which may be stored in any format suitable for storingmedia content. Non-limiting examples of media content items includesongs, albums, music videos, movies, television episodes, podcasts,other types of audio or video content, and portions or combinationsthereof. In this document, the media content items can also be referredto as tracks.

The media delivery system 104 operates to provide media content items tothe media playback device 102. In some embodiments, the media deliverysystem 104 are connectable to a plurality of media playback devices 102and provide media content items to the media playback devices 102independently or simultaneously.

The playlist preview generation engine 110 operates to generate aplaylist preview 114 for a playlist identifying a plurality of mediacontent items. In some embodiments, the playlist preview 114 isgenerated by the media delivery system 104, and the media playbackdevice 102 merely operates to play back the playlist preview 114. Inother embodiments, the playlist preview generation engine 110 generatesthe playlist preview 114 in cooperation with the media delivery system104 including the playlist preview engine 112. In yet other embodiments,the playlist preview engine 112 operates to generate the playlistpreview 114, either independently or in cooperation with the mediadelivery system 104.

The playlist preview engine 112 operates to edit the playlist preview114 that has been at least partially generated by the playlist previewgeneration engine 110. In some embodiments, the playlist preview engine112 provides a user interface for receiving an input from the user U1for editing the playlist preview 114. In some embodiments, the userinput can be transmitted to the media delivery system 104 and used togenerate the playlist preview 114 by the playlist preview generationengine 110.

In some embodiments, the playlist preview engine 112 operates togenerate a playlist preview 114 independently. In other embodiments, theplaylist preview engine 112 cooperates with the media delivery system104, such as the playlist preview generation engine 110 thereof, togenerate the playlist preview 114.

The playlist preview 114 is a preview of a media content playlist, suchas a playlist 176 (FIG. 2). A playlist is associated with a plurality ofmedia content items, and a playlist preview 114 provides a summary ofthat playlist by presenting a set of excerpts from at least some of theplurality of media content items associated with the playlist. In someembodiments, the playlist preview 114 further includes a visual elementalong with the set of media content excerpts, as described herein inmore detail. In this document, the playlist preview 114 is also referredto as a playlist trailer. As described herein, the playlist preview 114is sharable between users and thus enables users to effectively sharetheir experiences with media content items.

In some embodiments, the playlist preview 114 is shared by another userU2 through the user computing device 116. The user computing device 116is a computing device of various types, such as a handheld entertainmentdevice, smartphone, tablet, watch, wearable device, or any other type ofdevice capable of playing media content. The user computing device 116can also be of such types as a laptop computer, desktop computer,television, gaming console, set-top box, network appliance, blue-ray orDVD player, media player, stereo, or radio. Other types of the usercomputing device are also possible.

In some embodiments, the user computing device 116 is configured as amedia playback device 102, or vice versa and thus includes the samefunctionalities as the media playback device 102 as described herein. Insome embodiments, the user computing device 116 is configured similarlyto the media playback device 102 as described with reference to FIG. 2.Other configurations of the user computing device 116 are also possible.

The social networking service provider 120 provides the socialnetworking service 122. The social networking service 122 is an onlineplatform that is used by people to build social networks or socialrelations with other people. Social networking sites incorporate a rangeof new information and communication tools such as availability ondesktop and laptops, mobile devices such as tablet computers andsmartphones, digital photo/video/sharing, and blogging. Online communityservices can also be considered a social network service. Socialnetworking sites allow users to share ideas, digital photos and videos,posts, and inform others about online or real world activities andevents with people in their network. Examples of the social networkingservices include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, LinkedIn,Twitter, Google+, Wikipedia, Reddit, Pinterest, Vine, Tumblr, Flickr,VK, Meetup, ClassMates, and any other social media apps and messagingapps.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an example system 100 forgenerating a playlist preview. As also illustrated in FIG. 1, the system100 can include the media playback device 102, the media delivery system104, and the network 124.

As described herein, the media playback device 102 operates to playmedia content items. In some embodiments, the media playback device 102operates to play media content items that are provided (e.g., streamed,transmitted, etc.) by a system external to the media playback devicesuch as the media delivery system 104, another system, or a peer device.Alternatively, in some embodiments, the media playback device 102operates to play media content items stored locally on the mediaplayback device 102. Further, in at least some embodiments, the mediaplayback device 102 operates to play media content items that are storedlocally as well as media content items provided by other systems.

In some embodiments, the media playback device 102 is a computingdevice, handheld entertainment device, smartphone, tablet, watch,wearable device, or any other type of device capable of playing mediacontent. In yet other embodiments, the media playback device 102 is alaptop computer, desktop computer, television, gaming console, set-topbox, network appliance, blue-ray or DVD player, media player, stereo, orradio.

In at least some embodiments, the media playback device 102 includes alocation-determining device 130, a touch screen 132, a processing device134, a memory device 136, a content output device 138, and a networkaccess device 140. Other embodiments may include additional, different,or fewer components. For example, some embodiments may include arecording device such as a microphone or camera that operates to recordaudio or video content. As another example, some embodiments do notinclude one or more of the location-determining device 130 and the touchscreen 132.

The location-determining device 130 is a device that determines thelocation of the media playback device 102. In some embodiments, thelocation-determining device 130 uses one or more of the followingtechnologies: Global Positioning System (GPS) technology which mayreceive GPS signals from satellites S, cellular triangulationtechnology, network-based location identification technology, Wi-Fipositioning systems technology, and combinations thereof.

The touch screen 132 operates to receive an input from a selector (e.g.,a finger, stylus etc.) controlled by the user U. In some embodiments,the touch screen 132 operates as both a display device and a user inputdevice. In some embodiments, the touch screen 132 detects inputs basedon one or both of touches and near-touches. In some embodiments, thetouch screen 132 displays a user interface 144 for interacting with themedia playback device 102. As noted above, some embodiments do notinclude a touch screen 132. Some embodiments include a display deviceand one or more separate user interface devices. Further, someembodiments do not include a display device.

In some embodiments, the processing device 134 comprises one or morecentral processing units (CPU). In other embodiments, the processingdevice 134 additionally or alternatively includes one or more digitalsignal processors, field-programmable gate arrays, or other electroniccircuits.

The memory device 136 operates to store data and instructions. In someembodiments, the memory device 136 stores instructions for a mediaplayback engine 146 that includes a media content selection engine 148.Further, the memory device 136 stores instructions for the playlistpreview engine 112.

The memory device 136 typically includes at least some form ofcomputer-readable media. Computer readable media include any availablemedia that can be accessed by the media playback device 102. By way ofexample, computer-readable media include computer readable storage mediaand computer readable communication media.

Computer readable storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile,removable and non-removable media implemented in any device configuredto store information such as computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data. Computer readable storagemedia includes, but is not limited to, random access memory, read onlymemory, electrically erasable programmable read only memory, flashmemory and other memory technology, compact disc read only memory, blueray discs, digital versatile discs or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store thedesired information and that can be accessed by the media playbackdevice 102. In some embodiments, computer readable storage media isnon-transitory computer readable storage media.

Computer readable communication media typically embodies computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data ina modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term“modulated data signal” refers to a signal that has one or more of itscharacteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode informationin the signal. By way of example, computer readable communication mediaincludes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection,and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency, infrared, andother wireless media. Combinations of any of the above are also includedwithin the scope of computer readable media.

The content output device 138 operates to output media content. In someembodiments, the content output device 138 generates media output 108(FIG. 1) for the user U. Examples of the content output device 138include a speaker, an audio output jack, a Bluetooth transmitter, adisplay panel, and a video output jack. Other embodiments are possibleas well. For example, the content output device 138 may transmit asignal through the audio output jack or Bluetooth transmitter that canbe used to reproduce an audio signal by a connected or paired devicesuch as headphones or a speaker.

The network access device 140 operates to communicate with othercomputing devices over one or more networks, such as the network 124.Examples of the network access device include wired network interfacesand wireless network interfaces. Wireless network interfaces includesinfrared, BLUETOOTH® wireless technology, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, and cellularor other radio frequency interfaces in at least some possibleembodiments.

The media playback engine 146 operates to play back one or more of themedia content items (e.g., music) to the user U. When the user U isrunning while using the media playback device 102, the media playbackengine 146 can operate to play media content items to encourage therunning of the user U, as illustrated with respect to FIG. 22. Asdescribed herein, the media playback engine 146 is configured tocommunicate with the media delivery system 104 to receive one or moremedia content items (e.g., through the stream media 180), as well assequencing data generated by the media delivery system 104 forsequencing media content items. Alternatively, such sequencing data canbe locally generated by, for example, the media playback device 102.

The media content selection engine 148 operates to retrieve one or moremedia content items. In some embodiments, the media content selectionengine 148 is configured to send a request to the media delivery system104 for media content items and receive information about such mediacontent items for playback. In some embodiments, media content items canbe stored in the media delivery system 104. In other embodiments, mediacontent items can be stored locally in the media playback device 102. Inyet other embodiments, some media content items can be stored locally inthe media playback device 102 and other media content items can bestored in the media delivery system 104.

The playlist preview engine 112, either independently or in cooperationwith the media delivery system 104 including the playlist previewgeneration engine 110, can operate to generate a playlist preview 114.In other embodiments, the generation of a playlist preview can beperformed by the playlist preview generation engine 110 of the mediadelivery system 104 alone. In yet other embodiments, the playlistpreview generation engine 110 operates to primarily generate a playlistpreview in cooperation with the media playback device 102.

With still reference to FIG. 2, the media delivery system 104 includesone or more computing devices and operates to provide media contentitems to the media playback devices 102 and, in some embodiments, othermedia playback devices as well. In some embodiments, the media deliverysystem 104 operates to transmit stream media 180 to media playbackdevices such as the media playback device 102.

In some embodiments, the media delivery system 104 includes a mediaserver application 150, a processing device 152, a memory device 154,and a network access device 156. The processing device 152, memorydevice 154, and network access device 156 may be similar to theprocessing device 134, memory device 136, and network access device 140respectively, which have each been previously described.

In some embodiments, the media server application 150 operates to streammusic or other audio, video, or other forms of media content. The mediaserver application 150 includes a media stream service 160, a media datastore 162, and a media application interface 164.

The media stream service 160 operates to buffer media content such asmedia content items 170 (including 170A, 170B, and 170Z) for streamingto one or more streams 172A, 172B, and 172Z.

The media application interface 164 can receive requests or othercommunication from media playback devices or other systems, to retrievemedia content items from the media delivery system 104. For example, inFIG. 2, the media application interface 164 receives communication 182from the media playback engine 146.

In some embodiments, the media data store 162 stores media content items170, media content metadata 174, and playlists 176. The media data store162 may comprise one or more databases and file systems. Otherembodiments are possible as well. As noted above, the media contentitems 170 may be audio, video, or any other type of media content, whichmay be stored in any format for storing media content.

The media content metadata 174 operates to provide various pieces ofinformation associated with the media content items 170. In someembodiments, the media content metadata 174 includes one or more oftitle, artist name, album name, length, genre, mood, era, etc.

In some embodiments, the media content metadata 174 includes acousticmetadata, cultural metadata, and explicit metadata. The acousticmetadata may be derived from analysis of the track refers to a numericalor mathematical representation of the sound of a track. Acousticmetadata may include temporal information such as tempo, rhythm, beats,downbeats, tatums, patterns, sections, or other structures. Acousticmetadata may also include spectral information such as melody, pitch,harmony, timbre, chroma, loudness, vocalness, or other possiblefeatures. Acoustic metadata may take the form of one or more vectors,matrices, lists, tables, and other data structures. Acoustic metadatamay be derived from analysis of the music signal. One form of acousticmetadata, commonly termed an acoustic fingerprint, may uniquely identifya specific track. Other forms of acoustic metadata may be formed bycompressing the content of a track while retaining some or all of itsmusical characteristics.

The cultural metadata refers to text-based information describinglisteners' reactions to a track or song, such as styles, genres, moods,themes, similar artists and/or songs, rankings, etc. Cultural metadatamay be derived from expert opinion such as music reviews orclassification of music into genres. Cultural metadata may be derivedfrom listeners through websites, chatrooms, blogs, surveys, and thelike. Cultural metadata may include sales data, shared collections,lists of favorite songs, and any text information that may be used todescribe, rank, or interpret music. Cultural metadata may also begenerated by a community of listeners and automatically retrieved fromInternet sites, chat rooms, blogs, and the like. Cultural metadata maytake the form of one or more vectors, matrices, lists, tables, and otherdata structures. A form of cultural metadata particularly useful forcomparing music is a description vector. A description vector is amulti-dimensional vector associated with a track, album, or artist. Eachterm of the description vector indicates the probability that acorresponding word or phrase would be used to describe the associatedtrack, album or artist.

The explicit metadata refers to factual or explicit information relatingto music. Explicit metadata may include album and song titles, artistand composer names, other credits, album cover art, publisher name andproduct number, and other information. Explicit metadata is generallynot derived from the music itself or from the reactions or opinions oflisteners.

At least some of the metadata 174, such as explicit metadata (names,credits, product numbers, etc.) and cultural metadata (styles, genres,moods, themes, similar artists and/or songs, rankings, etc.), for alarge library of songs or tracks can be evaluated and provided by one ormore third party service providers. Acoustic and cultural metadata maytake the form of parameters, lists, matrices, vectors, and other datastructures. Acoustic and cultural metadata may be stored as XML files,for example, or any other appropriate file type. Explicit metadata mayinclude numerical, text, pictorial, and other information. Explicitmetadata may also be stored in an XML or other file. All or portions ofthe metadata may be stored in separate files associated with specifictracks. All or portions of the metadata, such as acoustic fingerprintsand/or description vectors, may be stored in a searchable datastructure, such as a k−D tree or other database format.

The playlists 176 operate to identify one or more of the media contentitems 170. In some embodiments, the playlists 176 identify a group ofthe media content items 170 in a particular order. In other embodiments,the playlists 176 merely identify a group of the media content items 170without specifying a particular order. Some, but not necessarily all, ofthe media content items 170 included in a particular one of theplaylists 176 are associated with a common characteristic such as acommon genre, mood, or era.

In some embodiments, playlists can be manually created, modified, andmanaged by users. In other embodiments, playlists can be automaticallycreated by the media delivery system 104, the media playback device 102,and any other computing devices and presented or recommended to theusers.

Referring still to FIG. 2, the network 124 is an electroniccommunication network that facilitates communication between the mediaplayback device 102 and the media delivery system 104. An electroniccommunication network includes a set of computing devices and linksbetween the computing devices. The computing devices in the network usethe links to enable communication among the computing devices in thenetwork. The network 124 can include routers, switches, mobile accesspoints, bridges, hubs, intrusion detection devices, storage devices,standalone server devices, blade server devices, sensors, desktopcomputers, firewall devices, laptop computers, handheld computers,mobile telephones, and other types of computing devices.

In various embodiments, the network 124 includes various types of links.For example, the network 124 can include wired and/or wireless links,including Bluetooth, ultra-wideband (UWB), 802.11, ZigBee, cellular, andother types of wireless links. Furthermore, in various embodiments, thenetwork 124 is implemented at various scales. For example, the network124 can be implemented as one or more local area networks (LANs),metropolitan area networks, subnets, wide area networks (such as theInternet), or can be implemented at another scale. Further, in someembodiments, the network 124 includes multiple networks, which may be ofthe same type or of multiple different types.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates only a single media playback device 102communicable with a single media delivery system 104, in accordance withsome embodiments, the media delivery system 104 can support thesimultaneous use of multiple media playback devices, and the mediaplayback device can simultaneously access media content from multiplemedia delivery systems. Additionally, although FIG. 2 illustrates astreaming media based system for managing sequencing of media contentitems, other embodiments are possible as well. For example, in someembodiments, the media playback device 102 includes a media data store162 and the media playback device 102 is configured to performmanagement of sequencing between media content items without accessingthe media delivery system 104. Further in some embodiments, the mediaplayback device 102 operates to store previously streamed media contentitems in a local media data store.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method 200 for generating and sharing aplaylist preview. In this example, the method 200 is described as beingperformed in the media delivery system 104 including the playlistpreview generation engine 110. However, in other embodiments, only someof the processes in the method 200 can be performed by the mediadelivery system 104. In other embodiments, all or some of the processesin the method 200 are performed by the media playback device 102. In yetother embodiments, all or some of the processes in the method 200 areperformed by both of the media delivery system 104 and the mediaplayback device 102 in cooperation.

The method 200 can begin at operation 202, in which a playlist preview114 is generated. In some embodiments, the media delivery system 104operates to automatically generate the playlist preview 114. Theplaylist preview 114 can be generated solely by the media deliverysystem 104 without interaction with the media playback device 102 orother devices. In other embodiments, the media delivery system 104 cancommunicate with the media playback device 102 to receive data, such asuser edit inputs, usable to generate and/or modify a playlist preview114. In yet other embodiments, the playlist preview 114 can be generatedby the media playback device 102 independently from the media deliverysystem 104. In yet other embodiments, the playlist preview 114 can begenerated locally in either the media playback device 102 or the mediadelivery system 104. An example method for generating a playlist previewis further described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 15.

At operation 204, where the playlist preview 114 is generated in themedia delivery system 104 or other devices than the media playbackdevice 102, the media delivery system 104 transmits metadata for theplaylist preview (also referred to herein as preview metadata) to themedia playback device 102. The preview metadata is metadata that providevarious pieces of information associated with the playlist preview. Thepreview metadata can include information usable to retrieve and playback the associated playlist preview on various devices, such as themedia playback device 102, the user computing device 116, and any othercomputing devices. In other embodiments where the playlist preview 114is generated by the media playback device 102, the operation 204 can beomitted in the method 200.

At operation 206, the media delivery system 104 determines whether theplaylist preview is edited. In some embodiments, the playlist previewcan be edited using the media playback device 102 upon a user request.For example, the media playback device 102 provides a user interface,such as the user interface 144 (FIG. 2), to receive a user input of anedit request for editing the playlist preview. In other embodiments, theplaylist preview can be edited by the media delivery system 104. Forexample, the media playback device 102 receives a user input of an editrequest and transmits the edit request to the media delivery system 104.The media delivery system 104 can then edit the playlist preview basedon the edit request. Alternatively, the media delivery system 104 candirectly receive an edit request and edit the playlist preview based onthe edit request.

If it is determined that the playlist preview is edited (“Yes” at thisoperation), the method 200 continues at operation 208. Otherwise (“No”at this operation), the method 200 moves on to operation 210.

At operation 208, the media delivery system 104 receives revised previewmetadata from the media playback device 102 after the playlist previewhas been edited by the media playback device 102. For example, when theplaylist preview is edited, the preview metadata is accordinglymodified, and such modified preview metadata is transmitted to the mediadelivery system 104.

At operation 210, the media delivery system 104 enables sharing theplaylist preview. In some embodiments, the media delivery system 104transmits the metadata of the playlist preview (i.e., the previewmetadata, or the revised preview metadata if the playlist preview isedited) to the media playback device 102 so that the user shares theplaylist preview by using information contained in the metadata. Forexample, the user can share a link to the playlist preview on variouswebsites or services, such as the social networking service 122 (FIG.1).

At operation 212, the media delivery system 104 transmits data forplayback of the playlist preview to a computing device, such as the usercomputing device 116, upon a request for the playlist preview from thatcomputing device. For example, when a user of the user computing device116 clicks on a link to the playlist preview (e.g., clicking on theimage of the playlist preview while played back), the user computingdevice 116 sends a request to the media delivery system 104, and themedia delivery system 104 transmits the data for the playlist preview tothe user computing device 116 so that the user computing device 116plays back the playlist preview based on the received playlist previewdata.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method 230 for generating a playlistpreview. In this example, the method 230 is described as being performedin the media delivery system 104 including the playlist previewgeneration engine 110. However, in other embodiments, only some of theprocesses in the method 230 can be performed by the media deliverysystem 104. In other embodiments, all or some of the processes in themethod 230 are performed by the media playback device 102. In yet otherembodiments, all or some of the processes in the method 230 areperformed by both of the media delivery system 104 and the mediaplayback device 102 in cooperation.

The method 230 can begin at operation 232, in which the media deliverysystem 104 obtains a selection of a media content playlist, such as aplaylist 176 (FIG. 2), for which a playlist preview is generated. Insome embodiments, the playlist is manually selected by a user through,for example, the media playback device 102. In other embodiments, theplaylist can be automatically selected by the media playback device 102,the media delivery system 104, or any other computing device. In yetother embodiments, the playlist can be predetermined for a particularpurpose, such as to promote a playlist associated with a set ofpredetermined media content items. In yet other embodiments, theplaylist can be randomly selected.

At operation 234, the media delivery system 104 determines one or moreproperties of a playlist preview to be generated. In some embodiments,the media delivery system 104 receives a user input of such playlistpreview properties through, for example, the media playback device 102.In other embodiments, the media delivery system 104 can automaticallyevaluates the playlist or the media content items associated with theplaylist and identify the properties of a playlist preview for theplaylist based on the evaluation. An example method for determining theplaylist preview properties is further described with reference to FIG.5.

At operation 236, the media delivery system 104 identifies media contentitems that will be included in the playlist preview. In someembodiments, the media delivery system 104 operates to select some ofthe media content items associated with the selected playlist and usethe selected media content items for generating the playlist preview. Inother embodiments, all of the media content items associated with theselected playlist are used for the playlist preview. In someembodiments, the media content items to be used in the playlist previeware automatically selected by the media delivery system 104 based on oneor more criteria. In other embodiments, the media content items for theplaylist preview are randomly selected by the media delivery system 104.In yet other embodiments, the media content items for the playlistpreview are manually selected by a user through, for example, the mediaplayback device 102. Example methods for identifying media content itemsfor a playlist preview are described and illustrated in more detail withreference to FIG. 6.

At operation 238, the media delivery system 104 selects a previewportion of each of the selected media content items. In someembodiments, the preview portion of each media content item is anexcerpt from the media content item. The prevent portion can be selectedas a portion of the media content item that represents thecharacteristics or attributes of the media content item. The previewportion of each media content item can be identified in various methods,some of which are described and illustrated with reference to FIGS.8-10.

At operation 240, the media delivery system 104 determines a transitioneffect. In some embodiments, the transition effect is a sound effectarranged between the preview portions of the selected media contentitems to provide smooth, personalized, and interesting transitionsbetween the preview portions. In some embodiments, the transition effectis automatically determined by a transition effect rule. The transitioneffect rule includes a list of default sound effects associated with oneor more features that represent the playlist or the selected mediacontent items from the playlist. Such features of the playlist or theselected media content items thereof can be obtained based on themetadata, such as the metadata 174, of the playlist or the selectedmedia content items. In other embodiments, the transition effect ismanually determined by a user through, for example, the media playbackdevice 102. In yet other embodiments, the transition effect includes noeffect so that no sound effect is provided between the preview portionsof the selected media content items. An example method for identifying atransition effect is further described and illustrated with reference toFIG. 11.

At operation 242, the media delivery system 104 operates to arrange thepreview portions of the selected media content items, thereby generatingan audio object of the playlist preview. In addition, the media deliverysystem 104 can arrange the transition effect between the previewportions as the preview sections are arranged. The preview portions canbe arranged in various manners based on one or more sequencing criteria.An example method of arranging the preview portions and the transitioneffect is described and illustrated in more detail with reference toFIG. 12.

At operation 244, the media delivery system 104 operates to generate aplaylist preview using the audio object. In some embodiments, the mediadelivery system 104 obtains a visual object and combines the visualobject with the audio object to generate the playlist preview. Thevisual object includes a visual effect that can be synchronized with theaudio object to present a visual preview of the playlist as well as anaudio preview of the playlist. The visual effect can include variouseffects, such as an animated motion of turning album cover images. Anexample method for generating a playlist preview with visual and audioobjects is further described and illustrated with reference to FIG. 13.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method 270 for determining the propertiesof a playlist preview that is to be generated. In some embodiments, themethod 270 is used to perform the operation 234 in the method 230 asdescribed in FIG. 4. The method 270 is described as being performed inthe media delivery system 104 either independently or in cooperationwith the media playback device 102. However, in other embodiments, onlysome of the processes in the method 270 can be performed by the mediadelivery system 104. In other embodiments, all or some of the processesin the method 270 are performed by the media playback device 102. In yetother embodiments, all or some of the processes in the method 270 areperformed by both of the media delivery system 104 and the mediaplayback device 102 in cooperation.

In this example, the method 270 begins at operation 272 in which themedia delivery system 104 determines a duration of the playlist previewto be generated. In this operation, the media delivery system 104determines how long the entire playlist preview runs. In someembodiments, a user can select and input the duration of the playlistpreview through the media playback device 102, which then transmits itto the media delivery system 104. In other embodiments, the mediadelivery system 104 automatically determines the duration of theplaylist preview based on various factors. For example, one examplefactor is a website or application, such as a website or socialnetworking service, where the playlist preview is posted. Certainwebsites or social networking services may have a time limit of an audioor video file that can be uploaded, such as ten (10) seconds inSnapchat. Other various factors can be considered in other embodiments.

At operation 274, in addition to the duration of the playlist preview,the media delivery system 104 determines a number of media content itemsto be used in the playlist preview. Similarly to the operation 272, insome embodiments, a user can select the number of media content itemsthrough the media playback device 102, which then transmits it to themedia delivery system 104. In other embodiments, the media deliverysystem 104 automatically determines the number of media content itemsbased on various factors, such as a duration of the entire playlistpreview and a duration of each media content item in the playlistpreview. Other various factors can be considered in other embodiments.

In addition or alternatively, the media delivery system 104 candetermine a duration of a preview portion of each media content itemselected for the playlist preview. In some embodiments, the durations ofthe preview portions of the selected media content items are identicallydetermined so that each of the selected media content items takes thesame amount of time in the playlist preview. In other embodiments, atleast one of the selected media content items has a different durationof its preview portion than the preview portions of the other selectedmedia content items.

In addition or alternatively, the media delivery system 104 candetermine a duration of the transition effect as described herein. Insome embodiments, the duration of the preview portions, the duration ofthe transition effect, and/or the number of the selected media contentitems are varied and combined differently to meet the duration of theplaylist preview. As a simple example, to make a 15-second playlistpreview, three media content items, each playing 5 seconds, or fivemedia content items, each playing 3 seconds, can be selected assumingthere is no transition effect.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example system 290 for identifying media contentitems to be used for a playlist preview. In some embodiments, the system290 is used to perform the operation 236 in the method 230 as describedin FIG. 4.

In some embodiments, the media delivery system 104 includes a mediacontent item selection engine 300, which can be included in the playlistpreview generation engine 110. In this example, the media deliverysystem 104 including the media content item selection engine 300 isprimarily described as performing the selection of media content itemsfor the playlist preview. In other embodiments, however, other devices,such as the media playback device 102, can be used independently oralong with the media delivery system 104 to select media content itemsfor the playlist preview.

In this example, the media content item selection engine 300 receives aplaylist 302 for which a playlist preview is created. As described withrespect to the operation 232 herein (FIG. 4), the playlist 302 can beselected either manually or automatically from a plurality of existingplaylists, such as the playlists 176 (FIG. 2). In other embodiments, theplaylist 302 is newly created by a user or automatically by the mediadelivery system 104 or the media playback device 102. The playlist 302includes a plurality of media content items 304, which are also referredto herein as tracks.

The media content item selection engine 300 operates to identify one ormore of the media content items 304 as selected media content items 306based on one or more criteria 308.

In some embodiments, the criteria 308 includes at least one of aplaylist preview duration 310, a number of media content items 312, andan item selection scheme 314. The playlist preview duration 310 and thenumber of media content items 312 can be determined as shown in theoperations 272 and 274 of the method 270, respectively, as illustratedin FIG. 5.

The item selection scheme 314 provides one or more factors to considerfor selecting media content items from the playlist 302. Examples ofsuch factors are described with reference to FIG. 7.

Although it is described in FIG. 6 that the media content items can beautomatically selected by the media delivery system 104, it is alsopossible in other embodiments that such media content items for aplaylist preview are manually selected by a user from the media contentitems in the playlist.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the item selection scheme 314. In thisexample, the item selection scheme 314 includes various factors, such aspopularity 320, user preference 322, representativeness 324, anduniqueness 326. In other embodiments, other factors may be included andconsidered as the item selection scheme 314.

In some embodiments, the media content item selection engine 300 usesone of the factors in the item selection scheme 314. In otherembodiments, the media content item selection engine 300 uses anycombination of two or more of the factors in the item selection scheme314.

According to the popularity 320, the media content item selection engine300 can select the most popular media content items from the playlist302. The popularity of media content items can be measured in variousways. In some embodiments, the popularity of media content items can bedetermined based on the number of playbacks of media content items inthe playlist 302. By way of example, where five media content items areto be selected based on the determination of a number of media contentitems 312, the media content item selection engine 300 can select fivemedia content items that are most played back by the user of theplaylist 302. In this example, the media content item selection engine300 can alternatively select five media content items in the playlist302 that are most played back in general, such as by all users of themedia content service (e.g., a media content streaming service) usingthe media delivery system 104. In yet other embodiments, the popularityof media content items are determined from other sources, such as userreviews, expert reviews, rankings, and any other suitable ways toevaluate the popularity of media content items.

According to the user preference 322, the media content item selectionengine 300 can select a predetermined number of media content items fromthe playlist 302 that are preferred by the user of the playlist 302. Insome embodiments, the media content item selection engine 300 receivesan input of the user's favorite media content items. By way of example,where five media content items are to be selected based on thedetermination of a number of media content items 312, the media contentitem selection engine 300 enables the user to select and input fivefavorite songs from the playlist 302. In other embodiments, the mediacontent item selection engine 300 can automatically select apredetermined number of the user's favorite media content items.

In some embodiments, the user's favorite media content items can beselected as media content items by the user's favorite artist. Forexample, the media content item selection engine 300 enables the user toselect the user's favorite artist and selects a predetermined number ofmedia content items by the artist from the playlist 302. In otherexamples, the media content item selection engine 300 can automaticallydetermine the user's favorite artist and select a predetermined numberof media content items by the artist from the playlist 302.

In some embodiments, the user's favorite media content items can beselected as media content items based on various features associatedwith the playlist or the media content items in the playlist. In someembodiments, such features can be identified from the media contentmetadata (such as the media content metadata 174 including acousticmetadata, cultural metadata, and explicit metadata). In addition oralternatively, such features include other characteristics such asenergy, danceability, and runnability of media content items. By way ofexample, the media content item selection engine 300 enables the user toinput, or automatically determine, the user's favorite genre, andselects a predetermined number of media content items having the genrefrom the playlist 302. Other features are similarly applicable todetermine the user's favorite media content items.

According to the representativeness 324 of the playlist 302, the mediacontent item selection engine 300 selects a predetermined number ofmedia content items that are representative of the playlist 302. In someembodiments, the media content item selection engine 300 clusters allthe media content items 304 in the playlist 302 and determine a group ofmedia content items that can best represent the playlist. For example,all of the media content items identified by the playlist are clusteredand a center of the cluster can be determined based on various criteria.One example method of determining the center of the cluster is tocalculate a vector for one or more acoustic features (e.g., timbre,harmony, and rhythm) and/or one or more high-level subjective aptitudes(e.g., danceability, energy, and runnability) of each media contentitem, and then evaluate similarity based on distances between thevectors in multi-dimensional space. Other methods are also possible.

According to the uniqueness 326, the media content item selection engine300 can select a predetermined number of media content items from theplaylist 302 that are most unique from the remaining media contentitems. For example, media content items having most extremecharacteristics, media content items that vary drastically from oneanother, and/or the most varied type of media content items can beselected.

Referring to FIGS. 8-10, an example method for selecting previewportions of the selected media content items 306 is described. In someembodiments, the method is used to perform the operation 236 in themethod 230 as described in FIG. 4. Although the method is primarilydescribed herein as determining the preview portions of the selectedmedia content items 306, the method is also applicable for determiningpreview portions of the media content items 304 of the playlist 302 orof any media content item.

In some embodiments, a preview portion of a selected media content item306 is determined by extracting a portion of the selected media contentitem 306 using a fixed ratio of the total duration of the selected mediacontent item. In other embodiments, the media content item selectionengine 300 automatically determines, as a preview portion, a portion ofthe selected media content item that is usable as a proxy for what canbe considered the most exciting, representative, or interesting sectionof the media content item. One example operation of the media contentitem selection engine 300 for selecting preview portions is described inU.S. Patent Application No. 2016/0342594, filed May 19, 2015, titledEXTRACTING AN EXCERPT FROM A MEDIA OBJECT, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, and summarized withreference to FIGS. 8-10.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method 350 for selecting preview portionsof the selected media content items 306. FIG. 9 illustrates a mediacontent item 306 having a search zone from which a loop section isextracted in accordance with the method 350.

The method 350 is described as being performed in the media deliverysystem 104 either independently or in cooperation with the mediaplayback device 102. However, in other embodiments, only some of theprocesses in the method 350 can be performed by the media deliverysystem 104. In other embodiments, all or some of the processes in themethod 350 are performed by the media playback device 102. In yet otherembodiments, all or some of the processes in the method 350 areperformed by both of the media delivery system 104 and the mediaplayback device 102 in cooperation.

Prior to performing the method 350, an acoustic analysis can beperformed on a media content item 306 to provide acoustic analysis datathat describes the structure and musical content of the media contentitem. In one embodiment, the acoustic analysis data includes pitch,timbre, and energy. The acoustic analysis mechanism takes a digitalaudio file, for example, from disk, (e.g. mp3, m4a, way, aif, mov, mpeg,fly), or audio data piped in on a command line and generates a file(e.g., JSON-formatted text file) that describes the structure andmusical content of the media content item. In addition to pitch, timbreand energy, the acoustic analysis data can also include sections,downbeats, rhythm, and the like. In an example embodiment, the mechanismthat performs the acoustic analysis incorporates principles ofpsychoacoustics, music perception, and adaptive learning to model boththe physical and cognitive processes of human listening to output adescription of attributes such as musical events, structures, and globalattributes such as key, loudness, time signature, tempo, beats,sections, harmony, and the like. It should be understood that otherpresently known or future acoustic analysis data processor or processingtechniques can be used to obtain such acoustic analysis data.

At operation 352, an N-bar window corresponding to N-bar loop section392 is defined, as shown in FIG. 10. At operation 354, a search zone 384is defined. How the N-bar loop is defined will now be described in moredetail.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, for a time signature A/B where B is a numeralindicating a note value that represents one beat (the beat unit) and Ais a numeral indicating how many such beats are grouped together in abar, the length of a sliding window is computed according to theequation N×A, where N is the number of bars. In this example, thesliding window is the same length as the loop section 392.

In one example implementation, N is selected empirically based on thedesired length of the loop and the phrasing of the media content beingprocessed. Popular music, for example, progresses in phrase lengths thatare multiples of two (2) bars and have a 4/4 time signature. Thus, inthe case where the tempo is 56 beats per minute (bpm), to obtain anapproximately 30 second loop, in this example implementation N is set toeight (8). For a 4/4 time signature, for example, the sliding windowwould therefore be 8×4=32-beats long. An 8-bar loop would thus reachapproximately 30 seconds when the tempo is 56 bpm.

In order to achieve a loop that is within 30 seconds, where the bpm islower than 56 bpm, e.g., 40 bpm, fewer bars are needed (e.g., 4 bars).

In the case where a longer loop is desired, the length of the N-barwindow would be adjusted accordingly. The faster the tempo, the shorterthe loop. Thus, if the tempo is faster such that the loop would be, forexample 10 seconds long using a 4-bar window, the length of the N-barwindow would be increased to obtain a longer loop, for example, to 16bars.

Search zone 384 is defined as the duration of the media content item 306minus an introduction section (S1) 386 and an outro section (S2) 388. Inone embodiment, search zone 384 is defined as the duration of the mediacontent item 306 minus an introduction section (S1) 386 that is n %beats of the media content item 102, and an outro section (S2) 388 thatis m % beats of the media content item 306, e.g. n=25, and m=33. Thevalues of n and m determine the extent to which the introduction andoutro are cut out. In one embodiment, these values are selectedempirically.

In another embodiment, n and m can be determined by performing asectional analysis, for example, by determining any relatively dramaticvariations of the media content in time. For example, a sectional audioanalysis can be performed on the media content item to determine changesin chorus, start of a verse, a bridge, and the like.

Referring again to FIG. 8, at operation 356, after an N-bar window andsearch zone are defined (operations 352 and 354), for every bar in thesearch zone 384, a pitch vector representation of the bar and a timbrevector representation of the bar are computed.

An m-dimensional pitch vector can be computed, for example, based onchromas and beats, where m equals the number of chromas multiplied bythe number of beats per bar, e.g., 12 chromas×4 beats=a 48-dimensionalpitch vector. An n-dimensional timbre vector representation of the barcan be computed, for example, based on the number of timbre coefficientsand number of beats, where n equals the number of timbre coefficientstimes the number of beats per bar, such as 12 timbre coefficients×4beats=a 48-dimensional timbre vector.

At operation 358, moving one bar at a time, the distance (d) betweensections of bars, that is, between bar i and bar i+N (e.g., N=8, i=1, 2,. . . , N) for both pitch and timbre are computed. This is accomplished,for example, by determining the Euclidean distance or cosine distancebetween bar i and bar i+N.

In one approach (labeled as Approach 1 in FIG. 8), the average energy ofthe section bar i to bar i+(N−1) is computed (e.g., for N=8 bars; i=1,2, . . . , N), as shown in operation 260. This is performed, forexample, by averaging the energies of every segment within the section.

At operation 362, the bars are then sorted by pitch distance inincreasing order, and P % of the top bars are retained, e.g. 50%. Thatis, only the bars that have the closest pitch content similarity tobar+N (e.g., N=8) are kept. P is selected based on how much of afiltering weight is given to pitch (also referred to as a “pitchfiltering weight”). When P is high, pitch has a lower filtering weight.Most of the potential loops having a high P would thus remain and onlythe lower ranked ones would be filtered out.

At operation 364, the remaining bars are sorted by timbre distance inincreasing order, and T % of the top bars are retained, e.g. 50%. Thatis, only the bars that have the closest timbre content similarity tobar+N (e.g., N=8) are kept (e.g., 25% of the bars remain). T is selectedbased on how much of a filtering weight is given to timbre (alsoreferred to as a “timbre filtering weight”). When T is high, timbre hasa lower filtering weight. Most of the potential loops having a high Twould thus remain and only the lower ranked ones would be filtered out.

In one embodiment, the percentages of pitch and timbre, respectively, (P% and T %) can be selected based on certain assumptions. For example, Pand T can be selected based on the genre of the media content item. Inthe case of classical music, on one hand, pitch may matter more thantimbre. In the case of techno music, on the other hand, timbre maymatter more than pitch.

At operation 366, using the average energy of the bars within the loop,the bar with the highest energy (i.e., the section bar i to bar i+7 withhighest average energy) is selected from among the remaining sections ofthe media content item.

In one example embodiment, the most energetic remaining N bars (e.g.,N=8) are utilized to capture from the media content item the mediacontent of interest.

In an alternative approach (labeled as Approach 2 in FIG. 8) instead ofselecting the top N bars as in Approach 1 (described above), the ranksare weighted and accumulated instead, e.g.,FinalRank=C1×RankTimbre+C2×RankPitch+C3×RankEnergy, where Ci are weightcoefficients, where “i” is an integer, as shown in operation 370. Inthis embodiment, instead of determining the pitch, timbre and energyranking of the top N bars in sequence, the pitch, timbre and energyvectors are combined and the processed bars are ranked based on theweighting of the vectors. Coefficients C1, C2, and C3 can be optimizedbased on a statistical analysis of several tracks, using for example, aneural network that learns based on loops that have been predeterminedto be exemplary (i.e., relatively ideal) loops. By analyzing severalloops, the coefficients of ideal loops can be extrapolated to a testmedia content item.

Once the N-bar loop (e.g., N=8) has been found according to one of theabove-described approaches, the corresponding portion of the mediacontent item is extracted.

FIG. 10 illustrates a preview portion of duration T (e.g., T=30 seconds)in accordance with an example embodiment.

To provide smooth transitions when looping, a preview portion 400 isprepended with a crossfade b 410 having a length D (e.g., D=a quarter ofa beat long or 1/16 of a bar) between section A 408 and section B 412where section A 408 is the section starting at T₀−D (with T₀ being thetime onset of the first beat of the loop section 392) and section B 412the section starting at T_(N)−D (with T_(N) being the time onset of the(N+1)th bar; e.g., where N=8 and N+1=the 9th bar). The loop end point isthus T_(N)−D (e.g., T₈−D).

A crossfade a′ 406 is generated to overwrite original a 404 by combiningthe original a 404 with the original b 410. For example, the crossfadea′ 406 can be an equal-power sum of a fade-in of the original a 404(e.g., f_(i)(a) plus a fade-out of original b 124 (f_(o)(b)) followed byan audio limiter. This ensures that sample T_(N)−D is equal to sampleT₀−D, and that looping is unnoticeable without requiring any processingwork on the client side. This also allows for implementation of acircular buffer from (T₀−D) to (T_(N)−D), i.e. of duration T_(N)-T₀, forstoring the loop.

The crossfade a′ 406 can then be prepended in place of the original a404.

In an example embodiment, at playback, the prepended crossfade a′ 406can be skipped the first time the loop is played.

The audio samples are, in turn, extracted from T₀−D to T₀−D+T to obtaina second preview of duration T (e.g., T=30 seconds), and thecorresponding metadata can be attached to the header of the compressedaudio file, e.g., mp3, including preview onset O=T₀−D, loop pointposition L=(T_(N)−D)−(T₀−D), duration D, beat locations, downbeatlocation, and the like.

In one embodiment, the above-described approach implements one passthrough the analysis data. In another example implementation, aself-similarity analysis can be performed on the media content item inorder to detect actual section repetitions, e.g. the chorus. Sectionboundaries can then be used to start the preview at the onset of amusical pattern or phrase: e.g. the strict beginning of the chorus.

The example embodiments described herein can be applied to previewingmedia content items such as an audio object. In one example embodiment,previews that capture a “hook” of a song as a proxy for what might beconsidered the most exciting, representative, or interesting section ofthe song are provided. Such preview can include the chorus or the mostrepeated and memorable melody, riff or pattern.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example system for determining a transitioneffect. In this example, a transition effect determination engine 430operates to determine a transition effect. In some embodiments, theengine 430 is used to perform the operation 240 in the method 230 asdescribed in FIG. 4.

In some embodiments, the media delivery system 104 includes thetransition effect determination engine 430, which can be included in theplaylist preview generation engine 110. In this example, the mediadelivery system 104 including the transition effect determination engine430 is primarily described as performing the selection of media contentitems for the playlist preview. In other embodiments, however, otherdevices, such as the media playback device 102, can be usedindependently or along with the media delivery system 104 to selectmedia content items for the playlist preview.

The transition effect 440 includes a sound effect configured to beinserted between two preview portions arranged adjacent in a playlistpreview, and thus can provide a smooth and customized effect between thepreview portions that are played in sequence. Various types oftransition effects can be created and used to provide various themes toplaylist previews.

In some embodiments, a plurality of transition effects 432 are generatedand provided by default. In some examples, the transition effectdetermination engine 430 can automatically select one or more from thedefault transition effects 432 which are suited for a playlist previewto be generated. For example, the transition effect determination engine430 determines a characteristic 434 of the playlist preview, andidentifies a transition effect that is suited for the characteristic ofthe playlist preview. In some embodiments, the playlist previewcharacteristic can be determined based on metadata of the playlistassociated with the playlist preview or metadata of the selected mediacontent items for the playlist preview. Other methods can be used todetermine the characteristic of the playlist preview in otherembodiments.

In some embodiments, a transition effect rule 438 is provided to thetransition effect determination engine 430 and used to select atransition effect 440 to be used for the playlist preview. In someexamples, the transition effect rule 438 associates the defaulttransition effects 432 with different characteristics of playlistpreviews. According to the transition effect rule 438, various factorscan be used to match the default transition effects 432 differentplaylist preview characteristics 434. Examples of such factors includegenre, era, record type, category, classification, and context orsituation in which the playlist preview is played.

Alternatively or in addition, one or more transition effects can bemanually selected by a user. In some embodiments, the transition effectdetermination engine 430 operates to receive a user selection 436 of atransition effect. For example, the media playback device 102 provides auser interface for receiving a user input of a transition effect for theplaylist preview. An example of the user interface illustrated withreference to FIG. 19.

The default transition effects 432 can have various themes. Someexamples of such themes include “FM Radio” which sounds like static orswitching channel, suitable for a playlist preview having a classicalcharacteristic, “Vinyl” which sounds like needle, dust, skips,scratches, or thin sound, suitable for a playlist preview having an oldmusic style, “Tape” which sounds like fast forwarding, rewinding, orbutton clicks, suitable for a playlist preview of the 80 s music, “DJ”which sounds like beatmatching, crossfading, DJ sound effects, orfilters, suitable for a playlist preview of electronic style, “Party”which sounds like crowd, shouts, or clapping, suitable for a playlistpreview of pop music, “Mosh Pit” which sounds like screams, rumbling,scraping, or guitar crunch, suitable for a playlist preview of metal orhardcore music, “TV” which sounds like TV static, buttons, or hertzianconnection, suitable for a playlist preview of soundtracks, “Beach”which sounds like waves, birds, or wind, suitable for Latin music,“Underwater” which sounds like blur, water, bubbles, or muffle, suitablefor a playlist preview of ambient or dreamy music, “Yoga” which soundslike soothing drones, singing bowls, wind, or breathing, suitable for aplaylist preview of relaxation or meditation style music, “City” whichsounds like street sounds or cars, suitable for a playlist preview ofhip hop style, “Geek” which sounds like video games, keyboards, orbeeps, suitable for a playlist preview of computer style music, “Space”which sounds like spacey-echo, lasers, beeps, or static, suitable forplaylist preview of sci-fi style characteristic, “Seasonal” which soundslike Christmas, Halloween, Easter, or other holidays, suitable for aplaylist preview of celebrating music, “Event” which sounds like StarWars launch, elections, or anniversaries, suitable for a playlistpreview of special music, “Girl Talk” which sounds like girl-talk stylemashup, suitable for a playlist preview of mashup music, and “Others”which sounds like various situations, such as gym, funny, locationbased, photo, live concert, etc.

In other embodiments, the transition effect can include no sound effectbetween preview portions. In this configuration, no sound effect isprovided during transitions between the preview portions of selectedmedia content items when played back.

FIG. 12 is a graphical illustration 450 for arranging the previewportions of selected media content items. In some embodiments, theillustration 450 represents the operation 242 in the method 230 asdescribed in FIG. 4. In the illustration 450, the horizontal axisrepresents time (T) and the vertical axis represents the sequence of thepreview portions 452 and the transition effects 440.

The processes performed in the illustration are described as beingperformed in the media delivery system 104 either independently or incooperation with the media playback device 102. However, in otherembodiments, only some of the processes can be performed by the mediadelivery system 104. In other embodiments, all or some of the processesare performed by the media playback device 102. In yet otherembodiments, all or some of the processes are performed by both of themedia delivery system 104 and the media playback device 102 incooperation.

In this example, the media delivery system 104 operates to arrangepreview portions 452 (including 452A, B, . . . , and N) of the selectedmedia content items 306 and generate an audio object 454 of the playlistpreview. As described herein, in some examples, the preview portions 452can be obtained as the preview portions 400. In addition, the transitioneffect 440 can be arranged between the preview portions 452.

The preview portions 452 of the selected media content items 306 aredetermined to have lengths in time (durations) T₁, T₂, . . . , T_(N). Asdescribed herein, the durations of preview portions 452A, 452B, . . . ,452N can be consistent among all the selected media content items 306 insome embodiments. In other embodiments, at least one of the previewportions 452A, 452B, . . . , 452N has a different duration than theother preview portions.

In other embodiments, the lengths of the preview portions 452 can bedetermined or adjusted based on the number of beats. For example, thepreview portions 452 can be made to have the same number of beats, whichmay or may not have the same length in time.

In some embodiments, the preview portions 452 can be initially generatedto have the same lengths, at least one of which can be later adjusted asnecessary. In other embodiments, at least one of the preview portions452 can be initially generated to have a different length than the otherpreview portions. The lengths of the preview portions 452, aftergenerated, can be adjusted as needed.

As described herein, the transition effect 440 can be arranged betweenthe preview portions 452. In some embodiments, the transition effect 440is consistent throughout the playlist preview. In other embodiments, thetransition effect 440 can vary between different transitions, such asbetween a first transition duration T_(t1) and a second transitionduration T_(t2). In some embodiments, the lengths of transition effect440 can be consistent throughout the playlist preview. In otherembodiments, the transition effect 440 can have a different length forat least one transition than for the other transitions.

In some embodiments, the preview portions 452 and/or the transitioneffect 440 can partially overlap each other as illustrated astransitioning portions 456. In some embodiments, the transitioningportions 456 include crossfading. Various crossfading techniques can beused.

The preview portions 452 can be ordered in various ways. In someembodiments, the preview portions 452 can be arbitrarily arranged. Inother embodiments, the preview portions 452 are ordered based on one ora combination of acoustic properties, such as tempo, energy, timber,etc. For example, the preview portions 452 are ordered based on tempo.By way of example, the preview portions 452 can be sequenced byincreasing tempo (such as from a slower tempo to a faster tempo), bydecreasing tempo (such as from a faster tempo to a slower tempo), by analternating pattern of tempo, or by a random pattern of tempo. Inanother example, the preview portions 452 are sequenced based on energy,such as by increasing energy (such as from a lower energy to a higherenergy), by decreasing energy (such as from a higher energy to a lowerenergy), by an alternating pattern of energy, or by a random pattern ofenergy.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example system 470 for generating a playlistpreview object 472 based on the audio object 454 and a visual object474. In this example, an audio and video synch engine 476 operates tocombine the audio object 454 and the visual object 474. In someembodiments, the engine 476 is used to perform the operation 244 in themethod 230 as described in FIG. 4.

In some embodiments, the media delivery system 104 includes audio andvideo synch engine 476, which can be included in the playlist previewgeneration engine 110. In this example, the media delivery system 104including the audio and video synch engine 476 is primarily described asperforming the selection of media content items for the playlistpreview. In other embodiments, however, other devices, such as the mediaplayback device 102, can be used independently or along with the mediadelivery system 104 to select media content items for the playlistpreview.

In some embodiments, the playlist preview includes a visual effect (suchas a visual object 628 in FIG. 21) to provide a visual preview of theplaylist as well. The visual object 474 includes data usable to presentsuch a visual effect for the playlist preview. Various visual effectscan be used. In one example, album cover images associated with theselected media content items can be included in the visual effect. Asillustrated in FIG. 21, the album covers are synchronized with thecorresponding preview portions and displayed when the preview portionsare played back. In another example, all or a portion of lyricsassociated with the selected media content items are included in thevisual effect. Other simple or sophisticating visual effects arepossible in other examples.

In some embodiments, the visual effect can include a visual transitioneffect, which is synchronized with the transition effect 440 in theplaylist preview. As illustrated in FIG. 21, by way of example, thevisual transition effect can be a page-turning motion between the albumcover images. Other visual transition effects are also possible in otherexamples.

In some embodiments, the visual transition effects can be provided andselected in a method and principle similar to the transition effect 440as described above.

Referring still to FIG. 13, the audio and video synch engine 476operates to receive the audio object 454 and the visual object 474, andgenerate the playlist preview object 472 by synchronizing the audioobject 454 with the visual object 474.

In some embodiments, the playlist preview object 472 includes a scriptusable to retrieve and run the playlist preview. The playlist previewobject 472 can be configured as a single file that can be transmitted toa user's computing device, such as the media playback device 102 or theuser computing device 106, so that the user can share the playlistpreview object 472 with other users. As described herein, the playlistpreview object 472 can be shared on a social networking service 122. Auser can post the playlist preview object 472 on a social networkingsite so that other users can watch the playlist preview associated withthe playlist preview object 472. In other embodiments, the playlistpreview can be shared in various ways using the playlist preview object472.

Referring now to FIGS. 14-21, various operations of the media playbackdevice 102 are described.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of the playlist preview engine 112 of themedia playback device 102. In this example, the playlist preview engine112 includes a playlist preview edit engine 502, a playlist previewplayback engine 504, and a playlist preview share engine 506.

The playlist preview edit engine 502 operates to edit a playlist previewthat has been generated by, for example, the media delivery system 104.In other embodiments, the playlist preview edit engine 502 can operateto edit a playlist preview that was previously created by the mediaplayback device 102. As described herein, the playlist preview editengine 502 operates to provide a user interface for receiving a userrequest for modification of the playlist preview.

The playlist preview playback engine 504 operates to playback a playlistpreview on the media playback device 102. In some embodiments, theplaylist preview playback engine 504 can include, be included in, or bepart of, the media playback engine 146, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The playlist preview share engine 506 operates to share a playlistpreview with other users using user computing devices 116.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example method 510 of generating or editing aplaylist preview using the media playback device 102. In this example,the method 510 is described with further reference to FIGS. 16-21, whichillustrate an example graphical user interface 600 of the media playbackdevice 102 for generating and editing a playlist preview.

The method 510 can begin at operation 512 in which the media playbackdevice 102 operates to authenticate a user of the media playback device102. As illustrated in FIG. 16, for example, an authentication page 602(titled “Enter Login” in this example) is presented on the mediaplayback device 102 and enables a user to enter authenticationinformation, such as a user ID and password. Alternatively or inaddition, other types of authentication are also possible.

At operation 514, the media playback device 102 determines whether a newplaylist preview is generated or an existing playlist preview is edited.For example, the media playback device 102 provides a user interface toreceive a user request for generating a new playlist preview or forselecting and editing an existing playlist preview. If it is determinedthat a new playlist preview is generated (“New Playlist Preview” at thisoperation), the method 510 moves on to operation 516. If it isdetermined that an existing playlist preview is edited (“PlaylistPreview Edit” at this operation), the method 510 continues at operation528.

At operation 516, the media playback device 102 receives a userselection of a playlist. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 17, themedia playback device 102 operates to present a playlist selection page604 (titled “Select Playlist” in this example) that shows a list 606 ofplaylists available to the user. The user can select a playlist 608 fromthe list 606.

At operation 518, the media playback device 102 receives a userselection of media content items from the selected playlist 608. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 18, the media playback device 102operates to display an item selection page 610 (titled “Select Songs” inthis example) that shows a list 612 of media content items associatedwith the selected playlist 608. The user can select one or more mediacontent items 614 from the list 612.

At operation 520, the media playback device 102 receives a userselection of a playlist preview theme. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 19, the media playback device 102 operates to display a themeselection page 616 (titled “Select Filter” in this example) showing alist of themes 618 that can determine the characteristic of the playlistpreview. In some embodiments, the playlist preview themes include a listof transition effects, such as the default transition effects 432 asdescribed herein. In FIG. 19, the theme selection page 616 presents alist of default transition effects as the playlist preview themes 618and enables the user to select one 620 of the default transitioneffects. In other embodiments, the playlist preview themes can present alist of visual transition effects and enables the user to select onefrom the list. In yet other embodiments, the playlist preview themes canprovide templates for generating playlist previews.

At operation 522, the media playback device 102 determines one or moreplaylist preview properties. The playlist preview properties includevarious pieces of information about the playlist preview. Examples ofsuch playlist preview properties include a duration of the playlistpreview, a number of media content items included in the playlistpreview, a duration of each media content item in the playlist preview,a preview portion of each media content item in the playlist preview,and any other characteristics of the playlist preview. As illustrated inFIG. 20, the media playback device 102 presents a playlist previewcharacteristic selection page 622 including a list of the selected mediacontent items 614. In some embodiments, the media playback device 102receives a user input of such playlist preview properties. For example,the user can select and adjust a preview portion 624 of each of theselected media content items 614 using an adjust control 626. Asdescribed herein, the preview portion 624 of a media content item canbegin from any point (e.g., the beginning or any point in the middle) ofthe media content item and ends at any other point (e.g., any point inthe middle or the end) of the media content item. In other embodiments,the media playback device 102 automatically determines the playlistpreview properties as described with reference to FIGS. 4-13.

At operation 524, the media playback device 102 operates to arrange thepreview portions and the transition effect, thereby generating an audioobject. In some embodiments, the preview portions and/or the transitioneffect are manually selected by the user as described herein. In otherembodiments, the preview portions and/or the transition effect areautomatically determined as described with reference to FIGS. 4-13.

At operation 526, the media playback device 102 operates to combine theaudio object with a visual object to generate the playlist preview. Insome embodiments, the visual object is manually selected by the user. Inother embodiments, the visual object is automatically determined to besuitable for the audio object as described with reference to FIGS. 4-13.

At operation 528, the media playback device 102 operates to retrieve theexisting playlist preview that the user selects to edit.

At operation 530, the media playback device 102 operates to receive auser input of modification information. In some embodiments, the mediaplayback device 102 provides a user interface, such as the userinterface 600 shown in FIGS. 17-20, to receive a user request forediting the playlist preview.

At operation 532, the media playback device 102 operates to modify theplaylist preview based on the user request, and generate an updatedplaylist preview. The playlist preview is modified in the processessimilar to those described in the operations 518, 520, 522, 524, and526.

In some embodiments, the media playback device 102 can play back theplaylist preview while the media playback device 102 operates to receivea user input, creates the playlist preview, or modifies the playlistpreview. By way of example, as shown in FIG. 21, the media playbackdevice 102 runs the playlist preview while the user selects thetransition effect 620. In this example, the user changes the transitioneffect 620A (“FM Radio”) to another transition effect 620B (“VinylRecord”) on the theme selection page 616, while the visual object 628and the audio object are played back on the media playback device 102.

It is understood that, in other embodiments, the operations in themethod 510 can be performed in different orders. In yet otherembodiments, one or some of the operations in the method 510 can beomitted or replaced with other operations of the media playback device102. In yet other embodiments, one or more additional operations areperformed along with at least one of the operations in the method 510.

FIG. 22 illustrates an example playlist preview 114 shared and played onan example social networking service 122. In this example, the visualobject 628 (such as from 628A to 628E) is animated and played while theaudio object is played back. In some embodiments, the images (such asalbum covers) in the visual object 628 are clickable and linked to themedia content items associated with the images.

In some embodiments, the playlist preview 114 is configured to allowusers (e.g., viewers) to navigate the media content items in theplaylist preview as the playlist preview runs. By way of example, theuser can perform navigation by select, slide, or drag the images in thevisual object 628 of the playlist preview 114.

In this example, a user U1 (FIG. 1) of the media playback device 102shares the playlist preview with another user U2 (FIG. 2) by posting theplaylist preview on the social networking service 122. In someembodiments, the social networking service 122 allows the other use U2to initiate the post and access one or more media content itemsassociated with the preview portions in the playlist preview. Forexample, the user can select a preview portion that is being played inthe playlist preview, which causes a related application or website tolaunch and play back the media content item associated with the selectedpreview portion. In other examples, such a media content item can beplayed on the social networking service 122 when the preview portion isselected.

It is understood that, in other embodiments, at least some of thefunctions and operations of the playlist preview generation engine 110and/or the playlist preview engine 112, as described herein, can beincorporated in the social networking service 122 so that the playlistpreview can be created or edited through the social networking serviceor by a user using the social networking service.

It is also understood that the playlist preview can be posted and sharedin other websites, mobile applications, or services. For example, theplaylist preview is provided in a website or mobile application providedusing the media delivery system 104.

The various examples and teachings described above are provided by wayof illustration only and should not be construed to limit the scope ofthe present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily recognizevarious modifications and changes that may be made without following theexamples and applications illustrated and described herein, and withoutdeparting from the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for creating a media playlist previewfor a media playlist, the media playlist having a plurality of mediacontent items, the method comprising: automatically identifying, usingat least one computing device, a subset of the plurality of mediacontent items of the media playlist; determining preview portions of thesubset of the plurality of media content items; arranging the previewportions of the subset of the plurality of media content items;generating an audio object, distinct from the media playlist, for themedia playlist preview, the audio object identifying an arrangement ofthe preview portions; determining a transition effect; and arranging thetransition effect between adjacent preview portions of the subset of theplurality of media content items, wherein the audio object identifies anarrangement of the preview portions and the transition effect.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining a visual object for themedia playlist preview; and synchronizing the visual object with theaudio object, wherein the media playlist preview includes the visualobject and the audio object.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: prior to generating an audio object, determining one or moreproperties of the media playlist preview.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein determining one or more properties includes: determining aduration of the media playlist preview; and determining a number of theplurality of media content items to be included in the media playlistpreview.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically identifying asubset of the plurality of media content items includes: selecting thesubset of the plurality of media content items from the media playlist,the media playlist identifying media content items including theplurality of media content items.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein thesubset of the plurality of media content items is selected based on atleast one of popularity, user preference, representativeness, anduniqueness of the media content items identified by the media playlist.7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after automaticallyidentifying the subset of the plurality of media content items,adjusting the subset based on a user selection of some of the pluralityof media content items from the media playlist.
 8. The method of claim1, further comprising: receiving a user input of the preview portions ofthe plurality of media content items.
 9. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: Receiving a user input of the transition effect.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting metadata of themedia playlist preview to a computing device, the metadata includingdata usable to share the media playlist preview with another computingdevice.
 11. A media delivery system for delivering media content itemsto a media playback device, the media delivery system comprising: aprocessing device; a media data store storing a plurality of playlists;and a computer readable data storage medium storing softwareinstructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause themedia delivery system to: automatically identify a subset of a pluralityof media content items associated with a media playlist; determinepreview portions of the subset of the plurality of media content items;determine a transition effect; arrange the preview portions of thesubset of the plurality of media content items and the transitioneffect, the transition effect arranged between adjacent previewportions; and generate an audio object, distinct from the mediaplaylist, for the media playlist preview, the audio object identifyingan arrangement of the preview portions and the transition effect. 12.The media delivery system of claim 11, wherein the software instructionsfurther cause the media delivery system to: obtain a visual object forthe media playlist preview; and synchronize the visual object with theaudio object, wherein the media playlist preview includes the visualobject and the audio object.
 13. The media delivery system of claim 11,wherein the software instructions further cause the media deliverysystem to: prior to generating an audio object, determining one or moreproperties of the media playlist preview.
 14. The media delivery systemof claim 13, wherein determining one or more properties includes:determining a duration of the media playlist preview; and determining anumber of the plurality of media content items to be included in themedia playlist preview.
 15. The media delivery system of claim 11,wherein identifying a subset of the plurality of media content itemsincludes: selecting the subset of the plurality of media content itemsfrom the media playlist, the media playlist identifying media contentitems including the plurality of media content items.
 16. The mediadelivery system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of media contentitems is selected based on at least one of popularity, user preference,representativeness, and uniqueness of the media content items identifiedby the media playlist.
 17. The media delivery system of claim 11,wherein the software instructions further cause the media deliverysystem to: transmit metadata of the media playlist preview to acomputing device, the metadata including data usable to share the mediaplaylist preview with another computing device.
 18. A media playbackdevice comprising: a content output device configured to output mediacontent from media content items; a processing device; and a computerreadable data storage medium storing software instructions that, whenexecuted by the processing device, cause the media playback device to:receive a user selection of a media playlist; automatically identify asubset of a plurality of media content items from the media playlist;determine preview portions of the subset of the plurality of mediacontent items; arrange the preview portions of the subset of theplurality of media content items; generate an audio object, distinctfrom the media playlist, for the media playlist preview, the audioobject identifying an arrangement of the preview portions; determine atransition effect; and arrange the transition effect between adjacentpreview portions of the subset of the plurality of media content items,wherein the audio object identifies an arrangement of the previewportions and the transition effect.
 19. The media playback device ofclaim 18, wherein the software instructions that determine thetransition effect further comprise software instructions to: receive auser input of a transition effect.